Kindle samples are now stored in the Cloud

You can generally get a free “sample” of a Kindle store book to read before you buy it.

That can be very valuable: it’s especially helpful in cases where you aren’t sure about the formatting of the book.

The only broad case where you can’t get a sample is when the book is regularly free. If it’s free, Amazon figures you can just get the whole book if you want.

People, though, use the samples for more than just checking out the book.

A lot of people use them as organizational tools. They’ll get a sample of something which they might buy, and that lets them remember it (similar to the Wish Lists).

It used to be that we didn’t have a record of which samples we’d gotten.

I would tell people that it was like getting a free sample at Costco. One reason why Costco and Amazon could do it for free is there is a reduced cost of sale. There’s no financial processing, and I would guess very little Customer Service costs.

Well, I guess Amazon decided it was worth the expense to make them centrally available!

On the MYK page, you change the dropdown in “Show” from “All” to “Samples”.

I tried testing it this morning. I sent a sample, but it hasn’t shown up yet (maybe ten minutes later), even refreshing the page.

It’s clear from what the page says that you can delete the sample from all devices on your account when you are on one of your devices:

“You can also choose to delete the sample from the cloud and all devices and reading apps registered to your account.”

That’s unusual. Typically, central management is reserved for people who have the password for the account and can do it at MYK. Many people have situations where there are what I call “managers” and “users” of the account. For example, children, or a friend or more distant relative, might not access to the financials of the account, but would be able to use the books on it.

I suppose the thought is that if someone deletes a sample, no real harm done…but that won’t be the case if people are using it organizationally.

What isn’t clear to me is whether I can order a sample from, say, my computer and have it sent to Device A on the account, and then be on Device B and download that sample.

I wanted to let you know about this exciting ability…and hopefully, I’ll get to explore a bit more about how it works soon (after, I presume, the MYK page updates).

Update: that never did show up, but I found out why. I have to request that the sample go to one of the qualified types of devices. When I did that, it showed up both on the device and at MYK. From MYK, I could send it to any of the EBRs (E-Book Readers) on the account, and to my Fire Phone, but not my Fire TV or my (yet to be delivered) Fire TV sticks.

It shows up on the KFHDX like a book.

The sample was also available to download on our Kindle Paperwhite 2…again, similar to an e-book. That’s what I wanted! 🙂

* I am linking to the same thing at the regular Amazon site, and at AmazonSmile. When you shop at AmazonSmile, half a percent of your purchase price on eligible items goes to a non-profit you choose. It will feel just like shopping at Amazon: you’ll be using your same account. The one thing for you that is different is that you pick a non-profit the first time you go (which you can change whenever you want)…and the good feeling you’ll get. Shop ’til you help! By the way, it’s been interesting lately to see Amazon remind me to “start at AmazonSmile” if I check a link on the original Amazon site. I do buy from AmazonSmile, but I have a lot of stored links I use to check for things.

This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.

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This entry was posted on November 18, 2014 at 3:24 pm and is filed under Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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I can’t find deleted samples in my archived items on my K3, but I can still use the “Manage Your Devices” to manage samples, so that’s better than nothing. Now, if they would just restore the ability to make notations inside the samples. I understand they did it because the notes don’t stick to the samples and transfer to the full book if you buy it, but I used notations to remind myself WHY I was saving the sample. For example, maybe I was saving it to wait for a lower price or maybe I was saving it to buy for a friend for a gift. I tried to see if I can still make notes on samples on the K1. I could do it with samples I’d previously downloaded, but when I tried to download a new sample, I got a pop up that I would need to register the Kindle before I could download items. However, when I checked, the Kindle is registered. I went back and tried to download a free book, and again I got the pop up that I need to register the Kindle 1. Then I looked at the Kindle Storefront homepage and saw it said, “Welcome guest.” I suppose I could try to deregister and and then register again, but I think I’ll just leave well enough alone for now. Maybe all it needs is a restart, and that means sliding off the back and poking it with an unbent paper clip! At least I finally remembered how I got into the habit of paging forward with my right hand and paging back with my left hand. There is NO back lever on the K1. Funny how the hands remember what the head forgot. Oh, and while I was there, I checked, and you can get to Kindle Unlimited from the K1.

The cloud had the experimental one I deleted today as well as another one I had deleted a few days ago when I first got notice from Amazon about samples being available in the cloud. The Kindle itself is clueless about deleted samples. I guess the K3 is just too old! Unfortunately, it’s my most recent.

I think the K3 is one of the best models, although the light on the Paperwhite is a big plus (and the lack of audio a big minus). Eventually, you’ll get a more current device, I’m sure, but for now, you can enjoy the one you have. As they keep evolving away from that generation, though, the temptation to move up will be greater.

I’m not yet seeing samples in MYCAD (‘manage your content and devices’), though there is a category for it. That said, I rarely download samples, so this enhancement probably won’t change that pattern. I found I never took time to read the samples (much less buy the book) and they just cluttered up my library. I find wish lists serve the same requirement I had around collecting samples, and just use those now. But I’ll play with it some more when it starts working…